The Bachelor
by Dazzles
Summary: Nathan Scott reluctantly accepts the offer to be part of a reality dating show, looking for a little bit of fun. But little does he know that true love might be waiting just around the corner.
1. Casting Call

-1**Welcome everybody to my newest story! Glad you decided to come along for the ride. This story was thought up by my cousin Michaela. I think it's a wonderful idea and kudos to her for thinking of it. Throughout the story she will be helping me think of new storylines, events, and ideas. And if you haven't figured out, this story is based around ABC's The Bachelor.**

So here we go with a new whirlwind story. Enjoy! 

"I can't believe you guys put me up to this. This has got to be the most ridiculous thing I will ever do in my life," Nathan Scott told his friends as he began to pack an oversized suitcase with a variety of clothes.

"Dude, I still cannot see how you are not totally into this," Tim Smith, Nathan's longtime sidekick, answered, bewildered. "I mean seriously man, twenty-five hot chicks all to yourself. That only happens in any man's wildest dream." 

"Yeah that's what I thought I would be thinking right now too. But it's weird 'cause it isn't."

"Well just be open minded," Nathan's half brother Lucas told him. "Just have fun. It's not like you really have to fall in love or anything like that."

"Yeah I guess but isn't that the point of the show?"

_It had just been a normal night for Nathan. All the guys had gone down to the bar for a few beers and a basketball game. But little did he know that he was soon going to get roped into something that he really didn't feel comfortable with at all._

In one corner of the bar, dozens of young men had lined up. It looked to Nathan like an audition for something, but he didn't know what. Seeing all of the video cameras and crew members gathered around the area, it looked as if it was for some television show that was holding an open casting call.

"Dude, lets go check it out," Tim volunteered. "We might get on TV!"

Nathan followed his friend and brother to the table. Maybe it was an audition for that show the Real World, or Survivor, or Big Brother.

"Yo," Tim addressed the woman behind the table, "me and my bros are here to audition for this thingy." Tim Smith had never been one to care about using proper grammar when he spoke.

"We are?" Nathan asked, a dumbfounded expression painted his face. "I thought we were just going to see what this was."

"C'mon man. We're trying out, aren't we Luke? Don't you want to be on TV? Just do it," Tim attempted to persuade his friend to 'just do it.'

"Nah," Nathan said. "You can do it though. I'll just go save us a spot at the bar"

The woman behind the table took one look at Nathan and immediately took Tim's side. 

"Sir," the brunette lady said before he was able to turn around and flee the area. "There's really nothing to lose if you just audition. It won't take too long and you can get back to your 'manly fun'" She giggled the most annoying laugh Nathan had ever heard.

"That's really okay Ma'am," he rejected trying not to sound annoyed. "I'll just go." 

"_C'mon Man," Tim pleaded trying his best to give Nathan the puppy dog look that clearly wasn't working all too well for him. _

"_What's the worst that could happen?" the woman smiled. _

_Nathan rolled his eyes. _

"_Fine," Nathan replied reluctantly. "I'll do it."_

"_Yes!" Tim exclaimed causing an annoyed reaction from both Lucas and Nathan Scott._

"_What are we 'auditioning' for anyway?" Nathan asked. _

"_The Bachelor," the lady answered. "And you my friend are definitely Bachelor material." _

"_No way," Nathan declared before attempting to escape from the area. But Tim was able to grab hold of his arm just in time. _

"_There's no way you're getting out of this now my brother from another mother."_

"So did you get the book?" Tim asked shooting a rubber basketball into a hoop that hung above Nathan's bed.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Nathan asked emerging from his closet with a small pile of apparel that included sweats, shorts, and T-Shirts.

"The book. The one season that Jesse was on the show they sent him a book with pictures of all the chicks before he got on the show. Did they send you one?"

Nathan and Lucas instantaneously spun their heads to stare at their friend.

"Yeah I got a photo album yesterday, but I haven't looked at it yet," Nathan replied. "I mean I might as well be surprised right? And how the hell would you know that I was going to get one?"

"I'm just smart like that," Tim replied.

Lucas chuckled.

"Pssh, Yeah right. What do you actually watch the show?"

"Well why not? Hot chicks are on it man!"

"Wow," was all that Lucas could utter. "Nathan where's the photo album? I want to see these girls."

"It's on the kitchen table I think," Nathan responded from inside the bathroom where he was gathering toiletries which included shampoo, a hairbrush, a razor, a toothbrush, toothpaste, Obsession cologne, and antiperspirant.

"Okay," Lucas answered heading out the door of his brother's bedroom and into the kitchen of Nathan's new house in which he had just purchased. "Got it," he said coming back into the room with a medium sized photo album titled "What to Look Forward To."

Immediately, Tim hopped off of Nathan's bed and stood over Lucas' shoulder to get a good look at the pictures inside of the album.

"Nate, do you want to look?" Lucas asked before he turned the cover open.

"Sure," Nathan called out. "Hold on a second." Within thirty seconds, the brunette emerged from the bathroom with a small toiletry bag in hand. "Okay I'm here," he said before tossing the bag onto the bed.

"Show me the babes," Tim exclaimed greedily as Lucas flipped the book open to the first page.

"You do realize I'm the one dating these girls not you, right Tim?" Nathan rolled his eyes playfully.

The men examined each page of the album thoroughly exchanging words about each and every girl. Tim's normal response to the photographs was either 'damn!' or 'Nathan you lucky bastard!' Lucas had thought a few of the girls were gorgeous. As for Nathan, he had thought all the girls were cute. They wouldn't have been cast on the show if they weren't. But one girl stood out in his mind and he couldn't get the picture of her face out of his head. She'd had wavy auburn colored hair as well as a natural beauty that most of the other women hadn't possessed. Maybe this wasn't going too be so bad after all.

"Damn brother, you're gonna have a hay day in Hawaii." Tim bellowed. "I mean seriously dude look at all these hotties with the bodies."

"Tim, remind me how old you are again," Lucas said.

"Twenty-five man. Duh!"

"He wasn't asking you to tell him how old you were Tim," Nathan told the man. "And by the way, you're acting like a horny high school boy."

"Dude I am horny. Just not in high school."

The brothers shook their heads. What would they do about Tim?

"So," Lucas changed the subject. "You all packed?"

"Pretty much," Nathan answered. "Just a few last minute things and I'm good to go."

"Well that's good. You're going to have fun."

Fun. Boy was that the truth. Throughout the entire experience so far he had been reluctant. Not once had he been excited to go to Hawaii, or meet twenty-five beautiful women, or anything. He hadn't wanted to do this and he had known from the minute he had unwillingly accepted the woman's offer to audition that it was a bad idea. This was probably the last thing that he would ever in his right mind think about doing. But here he was getting ready to get shipped of to Maui to try and fall in love with the woman of his dreams. Love. He hated that word. Love sucked, there was no two ways around it. He had been in love once, with his high school sweetheart. But the romance had come to a crashing halt when he found the love of his life in bed with his worst enemy. As much as he hated to admit it, he was scared of love. He had been through heartbreak before and even really didn't want to see dozens of women be heartbroken when he rejected them. And he didn't want to be heartbroken himself either in the end. Was it really possible to actually find everlasting love on some reality dating show? He was just going to have to wait and see.


	2. Friends Know Best

**Thanks for great reviews! I didn't expect so many for the first chapter.**

**Flashback sequence written in italics.**

"Why did I let you guys rope me into this?" Haley James let out an exasperated sigh as she and her best friends, Peyton and Brooke, sped to get in line for the crowded check-in desk of the Raleigh International Airport.

"Sweetie, you'll be thanking us for this later," Brooke Davis reassured her.

"Don't be so sure about that," Haley warned.

Not once did Haley James ever think that she would be getting on a plane to go to Hawaii and fall in love. Not once had she fallen in love. Not once had she gone to Hawaii. Hell, she had never even been on an airplane. This was not normal to her, but leave it to her best friends to get her wrapped up into the situation. Why couldn't Brooke go on it? Haley could see her doing something crazy like that. She could just as well been The Bachelorette based on her beauty and way with men. Haley wasn't that kind of girl. She was the shy one who sat in the corners of parties and was not ready to open her heart up to love. What in the hell did the casting crew see in her of all people?

"Oh I'm sure," Brooke responded. "You're going to have so, so, so, so, so much fun! And you get to go to Maui. I've always wanted to go to Maui."

"Well how about you go in my place?" Haley suggested.

"How about not," Brooke spoke.

_Haley James was exhausted. After a long day of teaching first grade students, she felt like curling up on the couch in a nice warm blanket with her golden retriever puppy, Maddie, and taking a nice long nap. She threw her coat and purse onto the island style countertop in the middle of her kitchen and sorted through the mail she had received that day. Most of it was junk and bills along with a short letter from her parents to see how she was doing. _

_She then came across an oversized envelope with a return address of ABC Studios. Bewildered by what might be in the envelope. Using her finger to detach the sticky flap of the envelope from the majority of the envelope, she opened it up and pulled out a packet of papers. _

"_Congratulations Haley James! You are one of the lucky twenty-five beautiful women who have been chosen to compete on The Bachelor. Judging from your fabulous video entry and written interview, we think you just might be the perfect woman for The Bachelor." Haley read aloud. "What the hell?" _

_She flipped through the other pages that had been included the letter. They gave an abundance of information that she would need to know. _

"_I didn't submit any video," Haley muttered. "And I sure as hell didn't answer any questions." _

'_Brooke…' Haley immediately said to herself. If anybody had done this it would be Brooke. _

_Haley picked up the cordless phone and dialed her friend's cell phone number. She plunked down on her couch while it was ringing, letter still in hand. She knew Brooke would still be at work but she usually answered._

"_He-Ello," a bubbly voice answered the phone. _

"_Hey Brooke," Haley sighed. _

"_Oh, hey Hales. Look, can I call you back in like ten minutes? I've got a client right now."_

"_Did you submit a video and interview of me for The Bachelor?" Haley bellowed. _

_Brooke didn't answer._

"_Brooke? Hello?"_

"_Um, about that," Brooke started._

"_What the hell Brooke?"_

"_Haley I've really got to go," Brooke changed the subject. "I would much rather talk to you right now but work comes first. I'll call you later." And with that she hung up. _

"_Brooke!" Haley shouted but it was too late. The brunette had already disconnected the phone. "Dammit." _

_Haley was forced to wait three more hours before she finally received the highly anticipated phone call from her friend. Finally, at 7:30, the phone rang. _

_Haley jumped up from her seat on the couch and grasped the telephone in her hand. _

"_Brooke," she answered the phone._

"_Hi," the voice came from the other end of the line._

"_What the hell did you do?" Haley screeched although she knew full well what the woman had done. _

"_Sorry?" Brooke suggested quietly. _

"_Brooke!" Haley shouted._

"_Look Haley I know you probably hate my guts right now but you shouldn't because this will be good for you."_

"_Good for me? Brooke…I don't need to go on some stupid game show to find love."_

"_Ok first of all, it's not a game show. It's a reality show." Brooke defended._

"_Oh whatever," Haley snapped. "God I can't believe you did this." _

_Brooke ignored the girl._

"_And second of all, you do need a reality show to find love. Sorry Hales but you're love life is shit right now and you know it."_

"_Well maybe so," Haley's voice softened, but she took on her angry tone once again within a matter of seconds. "But don't you think you could have at least asked me before you signed me up for a freaking TV show?"_

"_No," Brooke stated. "You know why? Because you would have said no immediately. You wouldn't have even thought about the opportunities of it."_

"_Yeah I guess you're right about that one. But still…"_

"_Haley I know this is weird and you don't want to do it. But will you just try it? I mean what's the worst that could happen?"_

"Haley, you're going to do great!" Peyton Sawyer reassured her friend. "I'll bet you this guy will fall head over heals in love with you and you live happily ever after."

Haley let out a loud laugh.

"Ha ha, yeah right."

"But what if this guy is a total babe?" Brooke asked.

"Well then that's a different story," Haley replied causing a flutter of giggles among the three women.

"You can't tell me you're not just a little excited," Peyton said.

"Well a little I guess," Haley blushed. "It's just weird you know?"

"How is it weird?" Brooke didn't quite understand how her friend wasn't totally excited about the beginning of the experience.

"How is it not weird?" Haley chuckled. "I mean competing with 25 girls for a guy? Not exactly the normal fairytale romance."

"Well I think it would be a blast," Brooke said enthusiastically. "And you really should too."

"So why didn't you send in a tape of yourself or even Peyton instead of me?" Haley laughed.

Brooke wrapped an arm around Haley and patted her on the arm.

"Because Honey, I have no problem finding a guy, and you're having a lot more trouble boosting your love life than P. Sawyer here."

Haley sighed.

"Okay Tigger I'll take your word for it."

Brooke clapped her hands together and squealed.

"That's my girl!" she said.

"So did you get any information on _The Bachelor_," Peyton inquired.

"Ummm, all I know is his name is Nathan," Haley replied. "They didn't really reveal too much information. Probably so we can be surprised or whatever."

"Nathan…" Brooke lingered on the name. "I knew a Nathan once. Lets just say he wasn't the prettiest thing to look at."

"Brooke!" Peyton scolded slapping the spunky brunette across the forearm.

"Well thanks Brooke," Haley stated sarcastically. "That makes me feel really great."

The threesome continued fluent chatter about the whirlwind experience that Haley was soon going to be thrown into. After all of the talk, Haley could actually feel herself becoming a little more thrilled about the entire ordeal than she had felt when she had walked into the airport. Maybe this was actually not as bad of an idea as she had thought it was going to be. Maybe she would actually meet a great guy and a lot of fun. But she didn't want to anticipate falling in love. How could people actually fall in love under the kinds of circumstances they were going to be under?

The line slowly inched forward until finally Haley was able to check in and get her luggage carried away. Sadly, this was the last she would see her two best buds for the next month. But on the plus side, Haley James of all people was about to embark on a journey that would be full of unexpected twists and turns.


	3. Minutes Turn In To Hours

Nathan was awakened to the sun shining through the wall sized window located in the bedroom of the beachside condominium which he would be housed in for the next month or so. The past few days had been a whirlwind of excitement for him. He'd been rushed around to do photo shoots, buy new suits and other apparel, and participate in rehearsals where he was told where to stand, what to say, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. He hadn't expected to be as busy as he was.

Tonight was the night where all of the hard work and preparation of the crew would finally be paid off, and also the night where Nathan would begin his reign as the Bachelor. It was weird really. Within hours he was going to meet twenty-five gorgeous women who were all vying for his heart. Then after talking to them for less than two hours, he was going to 'dump' ten of them. He already was starting to feel guilty and he hadn't even done anything that he needed to feel guilty for yet.

A boxer clad Nathan traipsed into the kitchen area of the condo and opened the freezer which had been fully stocked with 'man food' galore. ABC had provided the kitchen with an abundance of Nathan's favorite foods. Frozen Pizza, Cool Ranch Doritos, a case of Sunkist, and case of Budweiser were just a few of the food items in the place. Nathan pulled out a box of Eggo frozen waffles and popped two in the toaster.

After the waffles had popped up, Nathan dressed them with peanut butter and syrup, which, in his opinion, was the only way to eat pancakes or waffles, then grabbed the photo album that he had looked through so many times and let himself fall onto the couch. He decided to look through the picture book one more time before he actually got to meet the ladies in person. For the first time throughout the entire process, Nathan felt giddy. The whole entire time he'd been unsure about the entire idea, but finally the reality of it all was starting to kick in.

Nathan flipped through the pages of the album quickly, but paused when he got to that picture. This girl was absolutely beautiful. Her sleek flowing hair had been parted on the side and a lace lined camisole clung brilliantly to her slim frame. This girl wasn't like the typical fake bake bottle blondes that he had dated in high school and college. She was different. She was special. She had a pure natural glow that made her even prettier. God he could not wait to meet this woman.

After finishing his breakfast of champions, the brunette man decided it would be best to shower and get dressed. It was already almost eleven o'clock and he had to be at the mansion where he would be primped for cameras, and would later meet the girls. He had never had people do his hair or dress him or anything like that. This was definitely going to be a once in a lifetime experience.

After showering, hopping into a pair of UNC basketball shorts, and brushing his teeth, Nathan was officially ready to go. There was no need to get dressed up until he had to and, being a basketball player and head coach, he was going to savor every minute he could be in comfortable clothing.

He would have enjoyed going down to the beach and taking a jog or dipping in the ocean, but there was not time for that. He had already received a call that somebody would be there to pick him up in a half hour.

So instead, he wasted his thirty minutes watching a rerun of The Gauntlet on MTV. Soon enough, there were too obnoxious honks outside the condo that signaled it was time for Nathan to go.

Nathan climbed into the passenger seat of the silver BMW and was greeted by a muscular dark haired man with dark sunglasses, gray tips, and a black suit.

"Hi," he said sheepishly as the man sped out of the driveway and Nathan watched his 'home' get farther and farther away.

"Hello," the man replied gruffly not bothering to look at Nathan.

"I'm Nathan," Nathan introduced himself, not exactly sure if the other man already knew his name or not.

"I know." Well that answered his question.

"And you are?" Nathan inquired. Some conversation would be nice on this short trip.

"Rob."

"Oh well it's nice to meet you Rob."

"Yeah."

Nathan chuckled to himself. 'How about a 'Nice to meet you too Nathan. Are you excited?' he thought. For God's sake he seriously was praying that everybody at the studios were nicer than this or else this would be one hell of a long month.

"So," Nathan attempted to make conversation once again. "What's your job, Rob?"

"Driving you around," the man replied, his voice monotone.

"Oh," Nathan responded. "That must be a shitty job."

"It is. But you get paid good money. Better than a bus driver, or a taxi driver."

Nathan sighed with relief. Finally this guy was talking a little bit. The more conversation, the shorter the trip would seem.

"Yeah," Nathan said. "I guess it helps when you work for some big company like ABC."

The man smirked.

"Yeah just a little," he stated. "So let me ask you a question."

"Shoot," Nathan answered.

"How in the hell did you get picked to be on this show?"

Nathan laughed slightly at the memory of the night at the bar.

"Well me and the guys went to the bar on night to get a few beers and watch some basketball game. And they had these auditions for the show there. And I tried to steer clear of the corner of the building that was holding the auditions, but my idiot friend decides that we are both going to try out for it. I told him 'hell no' but then the lady that was running the whole ordeal started trying to convince me to do it with Tim. And I finally just decided to do it, not thinking that I would ever be the one they chose."

"But they did," Rob said turning the car onto another street.

"Yeah," Nathan answered. "Lucky me."

The rest of the car ride flowed smoothly for Nathan and Rob. They chatted about their lives and about the whole Bachelor experience that Nathan was getting thrown into. Not too long later, they had reached their destination, a gigantic stucco mansion overlooking the ocean. This would be the place where the women were housed, where rose ceremonies would be hosted, and where he would possibly find the woman of his dreams.

Once arrived, Nathan was given the grand tour of the house, which included seven bedrooms, eight bathrooms, a grand staircase with a loft, a kitchen, dining room, and three spacious living room areas equipped with the latest technology. Outside were a tropical pool and hot tub, lawn chairs, a barbequing area, and outdoor seating.

He was then whisked away to get ready for the opening night. A black suit, shoes, tie, and an assortment of different colognes had been provided for Nathan Scott. Everything he needed to be completely set was at his service. Minutes turned into hours and Nathan was ready. Now all there was to do was wait for the limos which would hold the women who he was about to meet.


	4. Two Hours Away

-1**You Guys Make My Day. It's great to post your story and within a half hour you have 10 reviews. Thanks so much for coming along for this story and I'm loving all the great reviews I'm getting. So keep it up! It makes me want to write the story when I get such great feedback! )**

**By the way, I better do this before somebody calls me out on stolen property. So here goes. I do not own One Tree Hill or the Bachelor along with anything that is part of either show. They are property of their networks, The WB and ABC.**

**Kayla**

Nathan stood anxiously outside of the mansion on the cobblestone pathway with Chris Harrison, the host of the Bachelor. And after talking to Chris for a while, Nathan quickly found out that the man was a comedian. They'd shared various laughs about various subjects. Finally, somebody was easy to talk to. Finally, Nathan had a friend. They'd gone over how the evening would go over several times. The cameras had been set up everywhere. And soon after, it was time to start filming.

"Hello," Chris began as the cameras started rolling. "And welcome to our newest season of The Bachelor. I'm standing here tonight with Nathan Scott, our newest and best bachelor yet. "

Nathan smiled as he had been told to do.

"So Nathan how are you feeling right now?" Chris asked.

"I'm feeling great!" Nathan replied enthusiastically. "I'm in Hawaii, I get to meet twenty-five beautiful women, and hopefully I will find the woman of my dreams."

"Are you anxious?" Chris chuckled.

"Just a little," Nathan smiled sticking his hands in his pockets.

"Well you're not going to have to wait too much longer. You're going to meet these women one by one, and then you'll have a chance to mingle with them before the first rose ceremony. Now you're sure you are ready for this?"

"I'm as ready as I can possibly be," replied, a broad grin spread across his face.

"Well without further ado, let's bring in the limos." Chris Harrison pointed his arm in the direction of the street and immediately, on his cue, the first limo arrived. "Good Luck!"

"Thanks," Nathan smiled and with that the host walked away as the first limo pulled up to the sidewalk.

He watched as the limo door was pushed open and two tanned legs stepped out revealing an adorable, bubbly blonde in a halter style pink dress.

Nathan smiled.

"Hi!" she squealed giving him a hug.

Nathan, caught off guard, returned the hug quickly.

"I'm Nathan," he said.

"I'm Lauren," she grinned. "It's so good to finally meet you."

"You too," Nathan smiled. "And I can't wait to talk to you more a little later tonight."

"Alrighty," Lauren smiled. She quickly scampered up the stairs into the spacious house behind Nathan. Immediately another woman stepped out of the limo, this one a petite brunette with a smile that revealed definite dimples.

"Hi," she greeted him, her eyes twinkling as she shook his hand. Unlike the woman he had just met, this one seemed very shy and a even more nervous. "I'm Natalya."

"I'm Nathan," Nathan replied a smile, a real smile, decorating his face. "How are you tonight?"

"Um," she began, "you could say a little nervous."

"Well that makes two of us," Nathan responded. "I wasn't too sure about this whole thing either. But it'll be fun. And I can't wait to talk to get to know you better."

"You too," she said and soon she had disappeared too. This was actually kind of turning into a good time for Nathan. He'd just met to completely different women with completely different personalities. One was bubbly and outgoing, the other shy and modest.

One by one the women stepped out of their respective limos to meet Nathan. He'd seen girls with blonde, brunette, red, and black hair; blue, brown, hazel, and green eyes; fair, medium, and dark skin tones; and a variety of different personality traits. Soon enough, he'd seen all the women who'd come to compete for his heart. But surprisingly for Nathan, he hadn't remembered that one girl who he'd developed a little 'crush' on. But just as he felt his heart sink, he saw the door of the final limousine open.

She gingerly stepped out of the limo and closed the door behind her before walking up to greet him. She was the girl. She was the girl whose picture he'd looked at just a little longer than everybody else. She was the girl who had those beautiful caramel colored eyes with dark chocolate outline. She was the girl who'd had that hair that just flowed down her back. And she was the girl who he'd been looking forward to meeting the most that night.

She strode down the sidewalk, the breeze pushing wisps of hair into her face causing Haley to bat them away. Nathan grinned, "Hi," he greeted her before she'd stopped at where he was standing.

"Hell-o," she replied in a half sing-songy voice. "I'm Haley."

"It's nice to meet you," Nathan smiled. "I'm Nathan."

"It's nice to meet you too," Haley answered.

"You look great tonight," Nathan sincerely complimented her. He was right. She looked beautiful in a cerulean blue thin strapped cocktail dress that tied on the side. Her hair had been straightened and pulled up into a spunky up do.

"Thanks," she blushed slightly and returned the compliment. "So do you."

"So where are you from?" he asked.

"I'm from North Carolina," she replied quickly.

"Really?" Nathan asked. "Me too! Where at?"

"Raleigh actually," Haley answered. "What about you?"

"Tree Hill," he said. "We only live two hours away from each other but we had to come all the way down to Hawaii to meet."

"I know," Haley replied fervently. "How often does that happen in a lifetime?"

"Not very often," Nathan smirked.

"Yeah."

Nathan smiled.

"Yeah. Well it was great to meet you. Hopefully we can talk more later tonight." He prayed that they'd get to talk more later on.

"You too," she replied as she turned to walk away. "I'll see you later." The poised woman quickly walked up the steps and made her way to the house.

'She has a nice ass,' Nathan found himself thinking as his eyes followed her to watch her walk up the steps. For the most part, Nathan Scott had matured after he'd gotten out of college. But the horny school boy side of him had never disappeared completely. He watched the lady disappear into the house and on cue, Chris Harrison stepped back in to join Nathan.

"So," Chris began, "What'd you think?"

"I'm a happy man right now," Nathan chuckled. "They're all great."

"Well you're going to get a chance to get to know them all a little better in a few minutes. But first I need to tell you that in the living room, there will be one rose sitting on the table. If at any time tonight, you think there is one woman that you definitely want to stay, you can give her that first rose before the rose ceremony and she will automatically be safe. The rose ceremony will be held later tonight, but until then just have fun getting to know the women."

"I will definitely do that," Nathan answered. He followed the man up the steps to the house. This was going to be one hell of an experience.


	5. Bros Over Hoes

-1Haley sat quietly on the deck in cushioned patio chairs with a few other girls who had befriended her as they all sat in joyful hope of America's newest bachelor. Katrina and Lauren were their names. Lauren was what Haley would consider the polar opposite of herself. The blonde was bubbly and outgoing and loud and flirtatious. She reminded Haley of a blonde haired Brooke. Sometimes Haley wished she could be like that. For one day it would be nice to just let loose and not be cautious. The dark haired Katrina, on the other hand, was more like Haley. She had been nervous about the whole idea of coming on the show and had told the other to women that she wasn't one to make a move on a guy or flirt with them.

"He is so hot!" Lauren squealed causing a giggle from the other two women.

"He is handsome," Katrina agreed taking a dainty sip from her wine glass.

"Yeah," Haley said. "We found out we live about two hours away from each other."

"Nuh-Uh!" Lauren bellowed, mouth hung open.

"Yes-huh!" Haley imitated sarcastically, a grin decorating her lips.

"That is so not fair. I mean he's totally gonna pick you cause of that!"

"I doubt it. I'm too shy."

"Honey, sometimes guys go for the shy girls. Personally I have no idea why because if I was a guy I'd want an outgoing girl. But, anyways, maybe they find it mysterious or something. I don't know."

Haley smiled.

"Well I'd be very surprised if he liked me for my shyness."

"I wouldn't," Lauren responded. "But hey if he hates you for it that's perfectly fine with me."

"Oh shut up," Haley slapped her.

"Hey we can be buddies but in this kind of thing, its bros over hoes."

"Bros over hoes?" Katrina inquired.

"I thought it was hoes over bros," Haley looked confused. "My friend Brooke always uses that term."

"Well technically it is hoes over bros. But it's different when you're here. Cause we are competing for this guy so the bro comes before the hoes."

Haley smirked. "Gee I feel loved."

"You should," Lauren giggled. "Okay so we all should totally be roomies. I don't wanna be stuck with some wacko."

Haley and Katrina laughed spontaneously.

"Why not that'd be a perfect roommate for you."

"I set myself up for that one didn't I?"

"Yeah pretty much," Katrina laughed.

The three ladies chatted about useless information for a while afterwards. Of course, Lauren did most of the talking, switching from shopping, to make-up, to her destroyed nail beds. Before long, the women, who had, had their backs turned away from the door didn't even notice the tall figure come up behind them.

"Hey ladies," Nathan Scott smiled, appearing from behind the girls.

The three women turned their heads to see who had come to see them.

"Oh, hey!" they replied in unison.

"Mind if I sit?"

"Of course!" Lauren answered enthusiastically. She patted the seat cushion of the chair next to her as the man made himself comfortable in it.

"So," Nathan began, "How are you all tonight?"

"Great!" Lauren squeaked.

"I'm good," Haley replied softly.

"Same here," Katrina agreed.

"Sorry I didn't come out sooner."

"Oh that's fine," Katrina reassured. "We got to know each other."

"Well that's good."

"Yeah."

"So um Haley, can I steal you away for a few minutes?"

Haley, unsure of what the man had just said, cautiously stood up from her chair.

"Um sure," she agreed following him across the deck and down the patio steps to the pool area where more tables and chairs were set up.

"Sorry if I sound retarded," Nathan apologized causing a small giggle from the woman who had taken a seat next to him.

"You don't sound retarded," she smiled.

"Good," he sighed a sigh of relief. "I honestly have no clue what the hell I'm doing."

"Well I'm in the same boat," Haley agreed. "I had no idea what to expect coming into this thing."

"I know me too."

"So how'd you end up on this show?" Haley questioned.

"Well I went to the bar one night with the guys, and then got roped into auditioning for the show. And for some odd reason they picked me." Nathan reminisced the audition night. "What about you?"

"My friends actually submitted my entry without telling me."

"Are you serious?" Nathan chortled.

"Dead serious," Haley answered. "I found out when I got a letter in the mail saying my entry had been chosen. Let's just say Brooke had some explainin' to do."

"Wow," Nathan said. "Were you mad?"

"I was furious," Haley answered.

"Well are you happy you came now?"

"Yeah," Haley blushed.

"So," Nathan turned to a new subject, "What do you do for a living?"

"I teach first graders actually."

"Tough work."

"Not really. They're great. It's tiring sometimes but I love my job."

"That's good."

"Yeah," Haley said. "What about you?"

"As of now… I'm the big rich assistant basketball coach for the high school basketball team." Nathan chuckled.

Haley smiled. "You play basketball?"

"Yeah. I've played all my life. I actually played college ball and was supposed to get drafted by the NBA but I tore my Achilles tendon during the preseason. Ended that dream."

"Well that's not good," Haley replied.

"Just wasn't meant to be I guess. I'm planning on going back to school though. I basically had relied on basketball my whole entire life but things change quick and I didn't really have a cushion to fall back onto."

"Yeah. What are you going to study?"

"I'm really not sure right now. I mean I've really never thought of anything other than basketball so I've never put any thinking into what field I want to go into."

"Well I'm sure you will figure it out." Haley smiled.

This guy was actually nice. He was actually somebody who wasn't full of himself. She was definitely pleasantly surprised. She had never expected to actually enjoy being around the guy who she was supposed to 'fall in love' with. But she did. And it felt good. Maybe…just maybe…this would be a fairy tale ending.


	6. Not A Hooter's Girl?

**Chapter written by Michaela. From now on she will be helping me write this story because, frankly, I'm too busy and can't handle this story all by myself. Hopefully updates will be more frequent this way ) **

Nathan nestled back into his oversized new bed and let out a sigh of relief. His first night as 'The Bachelor' had finally reached its end and he was beat. He thought about the young women and their diverse, sometimes over the top personalities and wondered why in the hell he was there in the first place. What a night… What a night.

Nathan picked up the telephone at his bedside and punched in the phone number, hearing the ring on the other end.

"Hello," a groggy voice came from the other end of the phone.

"Lucas?" Nathan inquired. The person on the other end sounded nothing like his brother.

"Yeah."

"It didn't sound like you."

Lucas yawned loudly on the other end of the line.

"Dude, what the hell are you thinking calling me at four o' clock in the fucking morning?"

"Oops," was all Nathan could mutter.

"Oops is right."

"Sorry Man," Nathan apologized. "I forgot about the time difference." It was only midnight in Maui, but everyone in Tree Hill was four hours ahead of him.

"That's alright," Lucas yawned again. "So how was it?"

"I'm gonna kill you when I get home."

"Oooh I'm scared now," Lucas joked.

"You better be," Nathan got him back.

"That bad?" Lucas asked.

"No, it was fine." Nathan stated.

"Dude, fill me in." Lucas inquired. "'It was fine' let's me know pretty much nothing."

"I thought you were too sleepy to talk," Nathan shot.

"Hell, I'm awake now. I've got all night. So you might as well start talking."

Nathan rolled his eyes.

"Well," he started. " I get to the mansion that all of these girls will be living in and meet Chris Harrison and all of the behind the scenes workers, whatever the hell you call them."

"Chris who?"

"Chris Harrison," Nathan repeated. "He's the host of the show."

"Oh," Lucas responded. "Okay. Continue."

"So I'm listening to them tell me all the shit I have to do and stuff and what I'm going to be doing and all of that information. And we rehearse and crap. You wouldn't believe it Lucas. It amazes me that they actually call all of these shows 'reality.' It's so staged it's not even funny."

Lucas let out a chuckle from the other end.

"So anyways, Man, they start pulling up the limos and one by one the girls get out of the car and introduce themselves. Some were horribly over the top. Some were horribly shy. Most were somewhere in between though."

"Any in particular that caught your eye?" Lucas asked.

"Nah," Nathan brushed it off.

"You're kidding right?" Lucas wasn't an easy one to fool. "What's her name?"

"Why do you think I'm joking?"

"Because you are. What's her name?"

Nathan let out a deep, exasperated sigh.

"Her name's Haley."

"I knew there was somebody," Lucas exclaimed. "Let me guess. She's blonde, has big boobs, and works at Hooters."

Nathan laughed aloud.

"No actually," he replied.

Lucas let out an over the top gasp.

"Shut up, Man," Nathan scolded.

"I didn't say anything, Little Brother," Lucas defended himself.

He was surprised, though. Typically, Nathan dated blonde girls with less than a quarter of a brain. It had been that way ever since high school. He was a jock, and jocks dated cheerleaders. It was just a natural occurrence in high school. But this time it was different. Nathan, himself, was even surprised at the fact that he was attracted to a girl who he would most likely never be drawn to in the real world.

"So tell me about this girl," Lucas continued. "Haley."

"Well she's a first grade teacher."

"Ahh, a teacher," Lucas replied, a hint of sarcasm decorating his voice.

"Shut up," Nathan repeated.

"I'm just messing with you," Lucas replied. "Keep going."

"She's from Raleigh," Nathan continued.

"As in Raleigh, North Carolina, Raleigh?" Lucas inquired.

"Yes Raleigh, North Carolina."

"Dude that's crazy!"

"I know. She lives, what, two hours away and then we met on a TV show. There was this first rose that I could give out before the 'Rose Ceremony' and I gave it to her."

"You lucky bastard."

"You sound like Tim, Lucas," Nathan chuckled. "And not in a good way."

"Yeah that isn't good," Lucas agreed. "I must be delirious. I mean it is four in the morning."

"Well I better let you get your beauty rest," Nathan joked. "I'll talk to you later."

"Have fun, Nathan."

"Bye."

Nathan settled back into the sheets of the bed and yawned. He was tired. But for some reason he couldn't sleep. He recounted the events of the night. "Haley Scott," Nathan said aloud. It had a ring to it. "Lauren Scott," he moved along. Not bad. "Katrina Scott." They all flowed. Nathan closed his eyes, and soon dozed off into a peaceful slumber. After all, he did need his beauty rest if he was going to survive his second day as The Bachelor.


End file.
